Fashion Friday: Your body is right.

We get an unimaginable number of messages about our bodies being wrong, or flawed. There’s the media, of course…

…but there’s also getting dressed in the morning. Ready-to-wear clothes (and hand-knit sweater patterns, too) are created for table of numbers I like to call “Miss Average”. There’s nothing wrong with that, necessarily; automatic and mass production of clothing make it necessary. But there’s one big down side, and that’s that anyone who isn’t exactly like Miss Average (which means everyone) is told, every day, by their clothing, that their body is wrong.

I say this, in my classes, and it seems to resonate? But this Fashion Friday I want to give you a stark visual example.

Here’s what happens when I get dressed in the morning, if I’m not careful.

I need to be clear here: This is a regular, long-sleeved sweater, and mid-rise, regular-length pants. Both in “my size”. This is what happens if I don’t tug them into place. The sweater, though it looks like I might be raising it for effect? Goes this way when I breathe. These clothes tell me that my arms are too long. That my legs are too short. That my torso is too long. I wore clothes like them nearly every day for far, far too long.

Here’s me again, in a store bought tunic-length top and capri jeans. In the same size as the clothes above.

This outfit might be more plain than I’d typically wear, most days. But at least things fit, you know?

Custom-made clothing makes you feel amazing. And not just because of the skill required to craft it. It sends a message, every time you move without tugging, that your body is right. That your body deserves clothing that honors it. That respects it. That tells it it’s beautiful. I urge you to wear clothes that are truly worthy of you.

22 thoughts on “Fashion Friday: Your body is right.”

Let me just say, Amy, that you are such a sweetie. No, I mean it. Your designs are wonderful, as are your ideas for pattern tweaking, but in the end it’s posts like this–which really “put you out there” and are incredibly kind–that make me a loyal reader (and knitter).

I’m joining in a wardrobe sewing project next month. I’m really excited to maybe finally get a number of items that are actually my size. (If you think the world says your arms are long, try being 6 ft tall!) My initial plan includes a sweater knit with CustomFIt.

Thank you, the positive reinforcements you send out with these posts are wonderful. I am a tall gal, at 6′ and I have the same problems for different reasons and I totally get what you are saying. Its one thing for my comfy home clothing to be baggy and all out of shape, but for leaving the house I really only try to choose clothes now that fit. Thanks Amy!

Gosh you are so right. Being a petite person who is also short waisted I can never find anything that fits me right butttt just discovered J Jill and every piece of clothing they have also comes in petite size and it is proportioned just right and they look great on.

This is a great post Amy. I have issues like this too – my legs are too long, my waist is too short and my shoulders too wide. I have learned that trying clothes on is a must, size means nothing – I have items that range from 10-16 in my closet that all fit perfectly. But man, you make me want to be a better knitter. Right now I can manage an ugly throw, but that is about it.

Amy, even before I read your amazing book I knew something was wrong. I’m a lean petite with a 32 bust and have always considered myself more or less evenly proportioned. Until I started knitting sweaters for a 32 bust. Imagine my dismay when they all fit great through the torso (if I lengthened them, easy enough most of the time) but always pulled tight through the shoulders. To make it work, I started knitting 34-36 sweaters but then didn’t like the saggy torsos. Voila, I’m top-heavy and didn’t even know it!

Such a simple lesson, so easily overlooked. I add my gratitude to everyone else’s who has benefited from your knitting/clothing philosophy, and your fascinating book.

Thanks for the continuing positive messages. I think there are so many women out there that look like the first picture (like I have as well) and don’t have access to your message. Keep doing what you do, and it will spread farther than you can imagine right now.

Thank you for your positive messages in pictures. It’s very true that it’s difficult to see yourself positively when your clothing says your body is wrong. You’ve certainly enabled me to see myself in a different and much kinder way. Who knew a sweater could be a life changing event! Thank you!

This was one of those laugh out loud moments…do you know how many times I’ve been the girl in the top picture? Thankfully I usually check the mirror before I go out or I’d be her quite often. Hooray for CF clothing that fits the way it is supposed to.

Learning my body shape- inverted triangle- from F2F has made such a difference to the way I dress. I was amazed to learn that it is what the eye sees straight on, not what the measuring tape says. I would never have sewed a dress with a waist seam before, but it looks fine, better than a dress without a fitted waist. Who knew?? Having clothes that flatter also means that if I pull out a dress or a cardi, it looks good!!! Thank you.

Wow, Amy, thank you so much for these messages. Recently I have purchased clothes whose manufacturer decided to completely re-size. They didn’t fit like they used to and I spent almost a year convincing myself that I must have gained weight because they just didn’t fit anymore. It’s the SAME brand of clothes I’d always worn. Thank you for opening my eyes. I am working on my first “Custom Fit” sweater and I am so excited about the possibilities opening up for me!

Reminds me of a time when we lived (thankfully short term) in Italy and I saw a beautiful dress outside on Sale.
Went inside and asked the clerk for different seizes. I eyed me top to toe ‘In YOUR seize?! No, we don’t have that!’
At that time I was a European / German 42…sigh 😉
I still got to get around and make a sweater via Custom-Fit. Soon all Wips are finished
🙂
And thanks for sending these positive Vibes our way. In the way our world ticks these days one could really think of oneself as an overseized fat frog or something.
🙂
My theory goes that since all the stuff is made in China these days, our clothes are smaller to begin with, since those people are smaller.
Anything I get my hands on over here (Kuwait) that even says XL must be eyed carefully and most times still doesn’t fit (big bossom and butt here) 🙂 My husband has the same problem. Broad shoulders and XXL Asian style don’t work 😉
Oh well 🙂

Amen, sister! I’m tall, so I’ve always had a hard time finding clothes that fit *well*. Luckily, I have a mom who still sews for me. This has made me even more picky about what I buy “off the rack.” I resist suggestions to buy something that doesn’t fit and have it altered. Love, love, love custom-fit clothes. I’ve not yet knit a sweater, but I am thinking my first likely will be a Custom Fit sweater. (Maybe I can get my seamstress mom to do the measuring over the holidays!)

My student, Michele Murphy, e-mailed me with a link to your post, above. I consider this information so valuable, I immediately put a link on my Facebook page to it. Thank you so much for writing this excellent post. Women need to read it.